THE AREA
Long Island is the largest island adjoining the continental United States, extending approximately 118 miles east-northeast from the mouth of the Hudson River. It is separated from the mainland on the north by the Long Island Sound and bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the south and east. Twenty miles at its widest point, Long Island is composed of low plateaus on the north, longitudinal ridges of glacial moraine through the central parts of the island, and gently sloping plains to the south. The East End of the island is made up of two peninsular forks. The North Fork is approximately 28 miles long, the southern - terminating at Montauk Point - is about 44 miles in length. Peconic and Gardiners Bays separate the two forks and are where Shelter Island and Gardiners Island are located.

Totaling 1,377 square miles of land area, Long Island is divided into four counties: Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. Suffolk is the easternmost and by far the largest of the four, covering an expanse of 911 square miles. Following Suffolk is Nassau with 287 square miles, Queens County with 109, and Kings with 70 square miles, the westernmost County. Kings and Queens Counties are coterminous with the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, which are within the jurisdiction of New York City.

A BRIEF LOOK BACK
When western Queens became part of New York City, legislation creating the independent County of Nassau was passed by the State Legislature and then signed by Governor Frank Black on April 28, 1898. It provided that Nassau be officially born on January 1, 1899 and the Towns of North Hempstead, Hempstead and Oyster Bay, including what would later become the Cities of Long Beach and Glen Cove, secede from Queens County to form Nassau County. The Horse’s Head Peninsula, which seceded from the Town of Oyster Bay on June 15, 1886, was already part of Suffolk’s Town of Huntington. Today, it constitutes the northern half of the Village of Lloyd Harbor. Remaining with Queens was the Rockaway Peninsula. The truck ladder house of the Mineola Fire Department Hook and Ladder Company was selected as the temporary home of the county at the Board of Supervisors’ first meeting. In 1900, Governor Theodore Roosevelt (an Oyster Bay resident) laid the cornerstone of the first Nassau Courthouse, now known as the “Old Courthouse.” The Nassau County Seal, with its golden lion of Flanders, bestriding a field of azure, encircled by seven gold bars or billets, is an adaptation of the Duchy of Nassau coat of arms.

More than two decades later - during World War II, residential construction, except for military housing, came to a virtual standstill. During this period in history there were sizable shifts in population. The shifts were largely due to the many people who had been mobilized into the Armed Forces. There was a substantial influx of workers seeking to participate in the growing defense industry workforce in the Nassau-Suffolk area. Firms such as Fairchild, Grumman, Republic, and Sperry Gyroscope flourished and would influence the region’s economy for decades.

The end of the war brought demobilization and with it the return of young men to begin new families. To their dismay, they found a housing shortage. It led to the post-war construction boom, which began in the fall of 1946. On May 27, 1947, the Hempstead Town Board amended its building code to permit cellarless homes. The change resulted in the most famous example of mass-home construction, the area in Nassau known as Levittown. Levittown got its start with William Levitt’s construction firm building 10,101 homes between July 1, 1947 and December 31, 1949. Nassau County’s growth in the period 1940 to 1950 led the nation. Other areas on Long Island also grew rapidly as demand for housing outstripped supply.

The region’s growth in the fifties was phenomenal. Between the years 1950 and 1960, the region experienced its greatest population growth. In the time span between censuses, Nassau’s population grew 93.3%, from 672,765 to 1,300,171. Suffolk grew from just 276,129 persons to 666,784, a whopping 141.5% increase. Together, the population count soared higher by over one million people. Housing units constructed in Nassau and Suffolk counties in the decade accounted for 30% of all the homes built in New York State.

The following years (1960-1970) were the next highest decade of population growth. During this period the Nassau-Suffolk area grew by 589,000 persons, a 29.9% increase. Just as the decade of the fifties was Nassau’s peak growth era, the sixties belonged to Suffolk County. Suffolk accounted for 78% of the area’s growth between 1960 and 1970.

The 1970 to 1980 time span was a period of change. Suffolk’s population counts continued to climb but Nassau experienced widespread population losses totaling 107,257 persons. Despite this, there was a net gain of 49,945 persons in the bi-county region for the decade.

Diminished population growth continued between the 1980 and 1990 censuses. Suffolk’s population gains barely offset Nassau’s losses as the overall change in population for the region netted a gain of just 3,500 persons.

The decade between 1990 and 2000 brought renewed growth to both counties. Nassau grew by 3.7% and Suffolk by 7.3%. For Nassau, this growth was the first experienced in two decades, while Suffolk more than doubled the growth realized between 1980 and 1990.

As of January 1, 2004, the population of the Nassau-Suffolk region totaled 2.81 million persons. This represents a 14,122 increase over our January 1, 2003 estimates. Contributing to population growth has been growing net-international immigration.

NASSAU COUNTY
On January 1, 2004, our population estimate for Nassau was 1,344,932 persons. This total represents a growth of 2,252 persons above that estimated for January 1, 2003. The Town of Oyster Bay gained the most in population with an increase of 1,144 persons to increase its total population to 299,840. Household increases in the hamlet of Bethpage contributed to this Town’s growth.

Following the Town of Oyster Bay is the Town of Hempstead with an increase of 1,140. This increase brings this Town’s population to 760,675. The village of Garden City and the hamlet of East Garden City contributed nearly one-third of this Town’s population growth. This growth was attributed to increases in group quarters residents at Adelphi and Hofstra Universities. Next, the smallest of Nassau’s three towns with a population of 222,042, is the Town of North Hempstead, which saw a 74 person increase. This Town experienced a 233 person increase in its hamlets; however, had an offsetting 159 person decrease in its villages. Nassau’s two cities, Long Beach (population 35,528) and Glen Cove (population 26,847), registered losses of 84 and 24 persons, respectively.

GROUP QUARTERS
The component of the population that is not included in households is referred to as “group quarters” in census reports. In Nassau-Suffolk, this sector totaled 47,494 in 1980 and 50,002 in 1990 census findings. The 2000 Census estimated total group quarters to equal 50,236.

There are an estimated 55,220 persons in group quarters for year end 2003. The State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook campus in Suffolk’s Brookhaven Town recorded 8,480 dormitory residents during the fall 2003 semester. It opened in 1963 and currently is the largest single provider of group accommodations in the area.

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS
Between 1980 and 1990, the number of Nassau-Suffolk households increased by 46,094 or 5.7%. The decade between 1990 and 2000 brought an increase of 6.5% or 59,931 households. The January 1, 2004 increase over the 2000 Census is estimated to be 18,761 households or 2.0%. Suffolk County leads Nassau County in the number of year-round households by a margin of 35,496. During the summer, Suffolk with its large inventory of seasonal units and second homes experiences a large influx of visitors. At that time the number of Suffolk households as well as its population increases dramatically especially on the East End.

YEAR-ROUND HOUSEHOLDS
by Major Municipality

HOUSEHOLD SIZE
Our January 1, 2004, average household size estimate was 2.95 for the Nassau-Suffolk areas. This household size remains unchanged from the January 1, 2003 estimate and that reported in the April 2000 Census. Although the average household size has remained stable, it is not stagnant. There are two active and opposing trends influencing this average. One trend has been the rise of single person households and the other is an increase in net-international immigration.

In 1970, there were 65,696 single family households in the Nassau-Suffolk region. The number of single person households in 1980, 1990 and 2000 increased by 46,871, 29,073 and 28,633 respectively over each decade before. The 2000 total (170,273) is a 20.2% increase in single family households over the decade before. The increase in the number of retirement housing units and multi-family housing are reflected in these increases. However, while single family households have more than doubled since 1970, we are also experiencing large increases in immigration. The Census Bureau reported that from July 1, 2002 to July 1, 2003 net international immigration from other nations was 5,462 for Nassau and 5,004 for Suffolk.

However, it should be noted that Nassau’s net immigration was more than offset by a loss of 8,446 in net internal migration within the USA. To the contrary, Suffolk’s net immigration was augmented with 162 persons due to net internal migration. According to the Long Island Regional Planning Board, declines in household size have been offset to some degree by the influx of young minority groups with their accompanying larger household sizes. Furthermore, they report that the household size declines experienced from 1960 to 1990 may have bottomed out in the 1990’s and may now begin to inch higher.

ESTIMATED AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE
by Major Municipality

GEOGRAPHIC TERMINOLOGY

County:

A county is a municipal corporation, a subdivision of the state, created to perform state functions; a "regional government. All counties are divided into cities, towns and Indian reservations.
 

City:

A city is a unique government entity with its own special charter. Cities are not sub-divided, except into neighborhoods which are informal geographic areas.
 

Town:

A town is a municipal corporation and encompasses all territory within the state except that within cities or Indian reservations. Towns can be sub-divided into villages and hamlets.
 

Village:

A village is a general purpose municipal corporation formed voluntarily by the residents of an area in one or more towns to provide themselves with municipal services. The pattern of village organization is similar to those of a city. A village is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas.
 

Hamlet:

A hamlet is an unincorporated area in one or more towns that is governed at-large by the town(s) it is in. A hamlet is divided into neighborhoods, which are informal geographic areas.
 

Postal Zone: (City and Town):

A postal zone "City and "Town" is an administrative district established by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver the mail. Postal zone "City" and "Town" may or may not conform to municipal or community border. Thus, postal zone location does not always determine city, village or hamlet location.
 

Designated Place:

A designated place is a term derived from the term "Census Designated Place" or CDP in censuses beginning with 1980. It replaced the designation (U) or unincorporated. A designated place is similar to that of a hamlet.

POPULATION OF LIPA (Long Island Power Authority)
SERVICE TERRITORY
1950 - 2000 U.S. Census

Source: LIPA Population Survey 2004